Boy Recovering After Receiving Small Bowel Transplant
INDIANAPOLIS - - A 3-year-old boy is recovering after receiving a small
bowel transplant by surgeons at Riley Hospital for Children. He is the
first person to undergo the life-saving five-and-a-half hour procedure
in Indiana.
"The surgery was successful and the patient is making a great recovery," says lead surgeon Joseph Tector, M.D., assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, commenting on the July 22 procedure. "This was a total team effort from beginning to end requiring our best specialists."
Dr. Jonathan Fridell, transplant surgeon and assistant professor at
Indiana University School of Medicine, procured the organ from California.
The boy's name and hometown are being withheld at this time at the request
of his parents.
A small bowel transplant is an option for people who are suffering from
intestinal failure and who are unable to absorb required nutrition through
regular digestive processes.
To date, intestinal transplants have been performed only at a select
number of institutions because few surgeons are qualified and trained
to perform them. Intestinal transplants also are among the most difficult
to perform and require a strong commitment from a highly skilled multi-disciplinary
team, including the very best in intensive care and in administrative
support.
In 1965, Indiana's first kidney transplant was performed at the Indiana
University School of Medicine. Hundreds of organ transplant procedures
have been performed at IU and Riley hospitals since that time.
Thirty-eight years later, Clarian Health Partners, which includes IU,
Riley and Methodist hospitals, continues to exceed the standard with the
state's first intestinal transplant.
Overall, The Clarian Transplant Center is a national leader in transplant services, ranking seventh in the country in volume.
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Media Contacts:
James Wide
Clarian Health Partners
317-962-4589
jwide@clarian.org
Joe Stuteville
IU School of Medicine
317-274-7722
jstutevi@iupui.edu
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